Teachers still clamoring for a 100% pay increment may have to either stand strong for their demands or cow out, following tough conditions set by the Prime Minister ahead of the new school term which opens on Monday.
Addressing journalists shortly after an impromptu meeting with RDCs, Town clerks, municipal Mayors and LCV chairpersons at Serena hotel in Kampala, Amama Mbabazi said teachers who fail to report to work within the first seven working days shall be relieved of their duties.
All teachers who abscond from duty shall not be allowed within the premises of schools and should also not be paid any allowances” the prime minister said.
A circular titled Absenteeism from duty, signed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education Francis X.Lubanga states that head teachers of all primary and secondary schools must report to schools to oversee the smooth commencement of the new term.
Failure to act, the Ministry will issue guidelines for job termination and subsequent recruitment of new teachers, the circular reads.
Class monitors and prefects have been directed to sign daily classroom teachers’ attendance registers at the end of each lesson to confirm that teachers have turned up in class and conducted their lessons.
In July 2011, Uganda national teachers Union UNATU, a teachers umbrella body called for a national wide teachers’ strike over their welfare increment of 100% from their current meager salary.
Some teachers are accusing their own mother body, UNATU of being compromised on grounds that some UNATU officials have been meeting the President and receiving bribes to get out of the strike deal.
“What has been a dialogue now has turned out into threats” said Max Mboizi, a grade five primary teacher.
Mboizi and over 400 teachers split from UNATU forming a splinter group called Uganda Liberal Teachers Association, which seeks to be more assertive, that UNATU.
